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Wednesday, March 8, 2017

A great topic is coming up, actually something that I have been experimenting with for years. Initially I was itching to do some `gardening` during those long winter months in Hungary a few years back so I got some seeds and watched a bunch of educational Youtube videos how to sprout seeds and eat them.

Absolutely great because it is:- cheap- easy - you only need some non-GMO seeds and a jar (oh, and some water), plus some patience- great way to teach kids and watch how nature works- has amazing nutritional valueSteps:1. Get non-GMO (organic) seeds (preferably some that sprout relatively easily)2. Use a big enough glass jar that you cleaned and rinsed with soapy, hot water3. You don`t need to use the actualt jar lid to close it as you will need to rinse the seeds/sprouts several times a day4. You can use a piece of cheesecloth (something like this), in case the holes are too big, you can just fold the cloth again to make it less thin5. Soak your seeds in cold water for a couple of hours. If you have seeds that come to the surface of the water, you can throw them away as that is a sign that the seed is actually dead and will not spout for sure6. Once your seeds soaked up some water, put a piece of cheesecloth on the top of jar with a help of a rubber string (like this)7. Rinse the seeds with cold water and strain all the water through the cheesecloth fiber8. Leave your glass jar on your counter, preferably where you have some sunlight9. Repeat rinsing with cold water (warm/hot water helps mold to form so please keep away from warm temperatures) 2-3 times a day to provide fresh water and rinse the seeds10. Once you see little roots and leaves forming, you can start eating your sprouts11. You can keep your sprouts with leaves and roots in your fridge for 1-2 days, but not longer as they are delicate and might get moldy

This time I used Alfalfa seeds that are actually very easy to sprout. If you have no experience with spouting yet, I recommend seed types that will sprout fast so you can get used to the process and see results without failure. Seeds that sprout fast and can also be found in your kitchen might be lentils, beans, peas, wheat.

First stages of sprouting, happens after 1-2 days when you can see the little roots appearing. You can obviously eat them like this, but I would wait for a day or two to see more growth and nutritional value.

The next stage is when the small leaves come out and they taste delicious. Depending on what type of seeds you sprout, you will actually taste the flavor of the plant in the tiny leaves.

A jar full of sprouting seeds. You can put them on your sandwiches, in your salad, in soups...basically anything. They add flavor, depth, crunchiness and nutrition to any meal.